No Doubt
by T'Lorie
Summary: It was a frantic dash, every step a stolen one. Evan Rosier was running for his life. A Short character-centric piece set during the first War.


Title: No Doubt

Author: T'Lorie

Rating: M

Spoilers: Book 4 only mentions these events in passing, no real spoilers.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Harry Potter and all the characters, plots, and ideas associated with it are the property of someone else.

Summary: Short character-centric, during the War.

… it was a frantic dash, every step a stolen one. Evan Rosier was running for his life.

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It had been a trap.

His heart was pounding in his chest, his cloak streaming behind him as he ran. There was no even pace, it was a frantic dash, every step a stolen one. Evan Rosier was running for his life.

He could hear the sounds. The footsteps as they chased him down the side alley. He couldn't apparate.

The whole area had been locked down, magically sealed. He had to run and run and run. He couldn't stop running, not ever.

He almost fell over a rubbish bin, stumbling and catching his ankle on the curb, but still he kept running.

The crooked buildings towered above him, windows shuttered, rubbish filled the streets. A neighborhood used to trouble. If he could just get a bit further, he could hear the sound of people ahead.

Wand clenched in his fingers he didn't look back. His eyes fixed on the distant end of the road.

Perhaps he could use the people… perhaps he could escape…

"Rosier!" a loud voice yelled and he half turned, throwing him off balance. They were behind him. There were so many of them. He should be flattered, but he wasn't, he was scared.

He cast a curse over his shoulder and stumbled for a few steps before he was able to start running again.

The end of the street, he dashed round the corner onto the main road, knocking a few people over, forcing his way through the crowd of shoppers. Bad idea, couldn't move, couldn't run. But where could he go, the sounds of pursuit was just behind him.

There were people everywhere. Innocent bystanders: just ordinary people. Like so many he'd killed.

"Death Eater!" Someone screamed.

Instant chaos as everybody scattered. He saw his chance, and at a dead run, took off down another side street. The pedestrians scattered to the sides as he ran by. They were screaming, his legs were burning, the breath in his lungs hurt but he stumbled on. He had to keep going, he must.

Curses flew by him, scaring the walls. A deep gouge appeared in the wall by his head, showering him with red hot pebbles. He flinched and threw his arms up, focusing on running. Rosier ignored the curses, the threats, the everything.

Until something hit him.

Evan cried out, and hit the ground hard, tumbling for several meters before he tried to stagger to his feet. It had clipped his side. He didn't know what it was, but it hurt. Oh God it hurt. He risked a glance down and saw the deep gash on his left hand side. Blood was soaking straight through his shirt.

Eyes wide he almost fell to the ground again but he caught himself, staggering a few more steps. His hands crimson.

"Evan Rosier you're under arrest!"

'Under arrest'? 'him'? Evan half turned, still backing away from them. He threw a curse and felled one of them as they all scattered for cover, zigging and zagging in all the right places.

Evan had to keep going, had to keep running!

Yet he took three more steps and his legs collapsed under him. Evan cried out in pain and hit the ground again. He looked down, his left side was just a mess: blood trickled through his fingers steadily. There was blood on his hands, so much blood.

Struggling to get up again, he clawed himself upright, leaving bloody handprints on the cobblestones.

They had stopped running; they were only a few paces behind him.

His wand hand was shaking but he threw another curse at them. Alistor Moody deflected it with ease.

He was on his knees, left hand clutching at his side. Evan panted, trying to stop his wand from trembling.

"Give it up son. You can't escape." Moody said, blood streaming from his nose. The other four Aurors' didn't look to well either.

Evan, eyes bright with pain, was on his knees before them. He grinned.

"Doesn't matter what happens to me, you can't stop him!" He brandished his wand at them and they all tensed.

"Give it up now."

There was only one way out, Evan knew it. There were tears in his eyes.

"I'm not going back! I'm not going to Azkaban." In his panic he managed to get to his feet, swaying dangerously. His wand flicked to the Auror next to Moody.

"Advada…" he started the curse deliberately.

Moody was faster.

Evan Rosier hit the ground, and stayed there this time.

The Aurors all let out a collective sigh. One stepped up to him, and kicked him onto his back, snagging the fallen wand from the ground. He then rolled up his sleeve to show the Dark Mark. "He's a Death Eater."

"Was there even doubt about that?" Moody asked waspishly. He was dabbing at his nose with a handkerchief.

"No Doubt, not anymore."


End file.
